Hollywood's bad boy is in love. Sean Penn (65) has always been extremely careful when talking about his partners, and if the paparazzi have bothered him, he has occasionally shown his bad temper and filed complaints. Recently, the Oscar winner for Milk (2009) was caught strolling in Santa Monica with his girlfriend, the Moldovan model and actress Valeria Nicov (30).
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Coincidentally, as Page Sixpreviously reported, the first images of the couple were taken while they were kissing and holding hands on the streets of Madrid in early September 2024. Two months later, they officially debuted on a red carpet at the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival. At the event, the actor was honored for his career.
Valeria was born and raised in Chiinu, the capital of Moldova. Endowed with great beauty, as a teenager, she moved to Paris, where she signed with a modeling agency that allowed her to walk for Carolina Herrera, Bonanza, and Dada Sport. Aware that her looks could open doors to the film industry, she decided to try her luck in 2018.
She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) and at the Cours Florent, and among her most notable works are Chacun Chez Soi, Ténor, and Don't Worry About the Kids. She also had a cameo in the series Emily in Paris, where she worked with her close friend Camille Razat (31), one of the main actresses.
To stay in shape, Valeria practices boxing, horseback riding, and yoga. Among her most notable traits is her language skills, as she is fluent in Russian, Romanian, Spanish, French, Italian, and English.
It is noteworthy that three months before Sean Penn was caught with his girlfriend in Madrid, the star of One Battle After Another (2025) —one of the big winners of the Hollywood awards season and a strong Oscar contender— confessed to The New York Times that he was single: "I am free." And he added: "If I am going to be in a relationship, I will remain free, or I will not be in it, and I will not suffer. I don't think I will have my heart broken with romance again."
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To date, Penn has been married three times and had a relationship with another notable actress. His first wife was Madonna, with whom he was from 1985 to 1989; the second was actress Robin Wright (59), from 1996 to 2010, with whom he has two children, Dylan Frances (35) and Hopper Jack (33); and the third was also actress Leila George (33), daughter of actors Vincent D'Onofrio (66) and Greta Scacchi (65), from whom he separated in 2022 after two years of living together.
Between these last two marriages, he dated Charlize Theron (50) for two years.